Mission in Aylín and Purulón
(Lanco, Region Los Ríos)
“How can unbaptized young people participate in a mission?”
a sister asked me, astonished.
The fact is that many young people participate in these missions because they want to serve. They want to help others; God makes use of this desire and they, in turn, experience fulfillment.
Some are young people without religious experience, who have not received the sacraments, from families where they did not learn the faith. These young people open their hearts because they find peace in prayer, and for the first time, without being imposed upon or judged, hear the Gospel inviting them to experience fulfillment.
In the midst of their reality, they still have noble hearts that want to serve, hearts that are disposed to discover God in these rural communities that open their doors to the missionaries.
By the end of these days, God has become present, most of all, in the bonds that are formed. This is the starting point for evangelization–because after what we have experienced together, we know one another. We can tell them about God because we are a credible conversation partner.
That is the key to a relationship [with God]: If one opens one’s heart to the other, the other opens him/herself to God, because God meets us in concrete experiences–in faces, through people.